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*****
Mike stood in place, cloaking himself in invisibility with a card, and then used his super vision to observe the battlefield, watching every detail of the ongoing fights.
"There should still be stronger replicant weapons yet to come," Mike murmured with certainty.
From the battles so far, it was clear that the replicant weapons sent by Mister Sinister each possessed only a single ability. But those with composite abilities—replicants wielding multiple powers—were Sinister's true specialty.
Even so, Mike had absolute confidence in the Akatsuki.
Compared to Mister Sinister's replicants, the Akatsuki he had manifested held overwhelming advantages.
Diverse abilities, combat experience honed to perfection.
As long as Sinister did not unleash over-tiered replicants—like a clone of Charles, or other clones endowed with monstrous powers and multiple combined abilities—the Akatsuki would not lose.
"They're here!"
Catching sight of distant movement, Mike whispered inwardly.
As the battle unfolded, the newly emerged replicants displayed two, sometimes even more, powers each, and the combat instantly escalated in intensity.
Watching these replicants use many familiar abilities, Mike's emotions churned.
Rage. Frustration. And a murderous intent that climbed higher and higher.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to focus solely on the clash between the Akatsuki and the replicant weapons.
Replicants with terrifying regenerative powers, Adamantium skeletons, and teleportation abilities; another with Cyclops' optic blasts combined with rapid healing, wielding both fire and ice—these were locked in combat with Hidan and Kakuzu.
Blood sprayed, explosions roared, and the fighting was brutally intense.
But in the end, Hidan and Kakuzu triumphed.
They destroyed the long-range artillery-like enemy, then buried the teleporting Adamantium-clad replicant with Earth Release, and continued forward.
At the same time, Itachi's squad had also dispatched their foes, while Nagato's group had finished even earlier and were advancing toward the base at top speed.
And once again…
It was Deidara and Sasori's team that ran into the real challenge.
They encountered an upgraded version of the earlier metal man.
A metal man capable of dividing into countless copies.
Before their eyes, the figure split like a living copy machine, producing duplicate after duplicate, surrounding them on all sides and launching into combat.
Worse still, these metal clones now possessed long-range attacks.
They opened their mouths and unleashed destructive sonic blasts like cannon fire aimed straight at the two.
Both Deidara and Sasori were forced into frustration.
It wasn't that their abilities were weak—it was simply that the powers of these metallic enemies directly countered their ninjutsu.
The puppets' toxins and blades were ineffective, and even standard clay bombs did little damage.
Faced with this stalemate, Sasori had no choice but to summon his strongest puppet—the Third Kazekage—and unleash Magnet Release: Iron Sand to dismantle the metallic foes.
Against the might of the Third Kazekage puppet, the metal men quickly became the ones suppressed.
Seeing this, Mike nodded approvingly, shifting his gaze to Nagato and Konan, who were advancing the fastest.
The two were already nearing the base. Given their speed, Mike was certain Sinister would not let them approach unchallenged.
Sure enough, no sooner had the thought formed than multiple figures appeared before them.
Men and women, clad in nothing but brilliant white wings.
They resembled angels from myth—perfect features, flawless forms.
Upon appearing, they summoned wind, fire, lightning, and thunder, launching a barrage against Nagato.
Nagato, however, remained utterly unfazed.
A shimmering shield materialized, absorbing every attack. And then, unnoticed until that moment, Konan reappeared from her paper disguise. With wings of countless paper sheets, she descended among the "angels," unleashing a storm of razor-sharp paper blades. Under her command, the angelic forms were shredded into fragments.
The two pressed forward once more.
Onward, onward…
The Akatsuki struck down every enemy that appeared, advancing relentlessly toward the base.
Watching this, Mike's expression hardened.
The critical moment was approaching.
Nagato and Konan were already above the base, and the others would not be far behind. If Sinister failed to deploy his most formidable replicants now, the Akatsuki would break through into the base itself.
Inside the base, Mister Sinister was practically ecstatic.
These mysterious intruders had arrived under strange circumstances, but the abilities they revealed were beyond thrilling.
Every one of them possessed multiple powers, and they continued to unveil new ones as the battle progressed. They could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his own replicants.
His desire now was to capture them for study—determine whether their powers were innate or if they were weapons crafted by someone else.
If it was the former, then his collection would soon gain several new masterpieces.
The very thought filled him with delight.
At last, he dispatched what he considered his more "perfect" replicants.
One wielding fire and ice together, with rapid regeneration and even telekinetic power.
Another that could transform into a beast, teleport, melt into shadows, and unleash psychic attacks.
A towering brute who could gigantify, control hair growth, harden every strand into deadly projectiles, and absorb incoming attacks.
And more…
Alongside these composite types, he also released replicants with single, yet devastatingly strong abilities.
For example—an Erik replicant.
The moment these weapons surged from the base, they clashed with Nagato and Konan. And as the other Akatsuki arrived one after another, the battlefield ignited into chaos.
"Shinra Tensei!"
"Amaterasu!"
"C2: Dragon!"
"Exploding Water Shockwave!"
"Dance of the Shikigami!"
…
Watching the escalating battle, Mike couldn't help but think: once this was over, perhaps Nagato could attempt to use the Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique to resurrect Charles and the others.
Though in his estimation, the chances were slim—so slim as to be nearly zero.
After all, this was not the world of Naruto.
The rules of the two universes were different. Certain things could not function here at all—unless Mike's own powers grew strong enough to shatter the world's very laws.
Still… it was worth a try.
Meanwhile, Tony and his group took advantage of the escalating battle. While replicants continued to pour out of Sinister's base, they had already infiltrated it successfully, searching for Sinister's consciousness-backup machinery.
(End of Chapter)